The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-15

thom down on the towpath nearly |
opposite Chiswick about 4:3O, ana
saw them walk away eastward. we
have also got hold OF all old woman
who saw them on the towpath near
Hammersmith Bridge, but whether
below or above she cannot state,
walking in the direction OF Putney.
She saws il was within a few minutes
OF five O'Clock, and just getting dusk.
On that day, October rs, the sun, you
will find, set at 4:57. Now 1T Is not
impossible, OF course, that Alfred
Stuckey may have been on the tow
path, walking towards Putney about
B o'clock, and yet have taken the de-
ceased home, as he states, and have
afterwards caught the 5;35 train; but,
to my mind, this evidence throws grave
doubt on his story. Remember we
have only Alfred Stuckey's word Tor
it that the deceased ever went home
at all. On the other hand, there Is
strong presumption that some time
after Ave o'clock that night he found
his way into the river, having been,
according to the medical testimony,
knocked on the head first, presumably
by some one who had motive Tor
doing so, which stranger to him
would not have. ,.,,
"You think he was murdered?"
81 form no theory at present. but !
think that Messrs. Alfred and Ephraim
Stuckey between them know more
about their fathers disappearance
than they have yet disclosed, and that
the evidence wenow have offers a very
convenient means OF squeezing the
truth out OF them"
"Then what do you adviser" .
"Put all our information in the
hands OF the police. We shall never
prove suicide, and il it be a case OF
murder that does not help the office.
It is therefore, not worth the Compa-
ny's while to spend money on further
INQUIRIES. On the other hand, if there
bs any fraud in the case, the truth
will very soon come out when
one or other OF these gentlemen is ar.
rested on charge of murder, which l
expect we shall see before an other
week is over"
In this last conjecture Mr.. George
George was not mistaken-he very
seldom was about such matters.
Within four or five days from the
time when he forwarded che informa-
ton to Scotland-yard, the Rev. Alfred
Stucksy was in custody, charged with
numbering his father. e..
When he appeared before the mag
istrate the facts detailed by MIR.
George were supplemented by piece
OF evidence OF a most damnlng char
acter. A tramp, named Higgs, was
called, and he deposed to having seen
the deceased, whom he knew quite
we'll by sight, in company with anoth'
or man on the towpath between Ham
mersmith and Putney some time att
or dark; to having overheard some
thing like an alteration, the old man
apparently refusing to 60 on, and the
young one threatening to chuck MIN
into the river if he were troublesome;
and, finally, to having heard two OF
three loud cries, after he had passed.
Higgs did not attempt to identify the
prisoner, but he was sure that the man
with the deceased was in a black coat,
and closely resenabled the prisoner IN
height and figure With regard to the
time he was uncertain; but IL was
clear from his statements that 1t must
have been within five minutes on either
side of quarter to six. This left time
as the prosecution showed, for the
prisoner to catch train at Putney
Bri dpe by which he could have reach
ed st. Pancras so as to travel by the
7I1O downtown train from that STA
tion. On this evidence the magistrate
without hesitation, committed the
prisoner for trail.
Only one other piece Of evidence was
.adduced when the trail came on 81
the Old Bailey, but it had an import
ant. bearing on the issue. Itappearec
that when he had left the University
four or five years previously, the prs
4 oner was very much in debt; that M
had lately been threatened with sum
mary proceedings by some OF ms OK
ford creditors, and that on the day
his arrival in town he had been to az
advertising money-lender to endeavol
to raise money on his small eIpecta
tions from his father. In this he hat
been unsuccessful. Here, then, 81
counsel for the Crown did not tai
to point out at the trial, was
sufficient explanation OF the motiv'
for the dab olical act. For the de
fence, everJy attempt possible was
made to prove an abb, but none Q
the witnesses who thought that tine.
had seen the prisoner elsewhere wer
positive alb out the time; and In Tn
face of the admitted fact that tn
prisoner ha d Travelled to and left 81
Pancras st alton on that night. thei
evidence cal me to nothing: The Judge